Maggie’s It's Christmas: A Thread For All the Homey Things

[Blue Sky Country]

Happy Holidays to everybody here. For some folks, we might be lucky enough to be on vacation and spend time with family and loved ones this season.

For some others, we might be working quite far away from home, in the service of our country, or any other place where we can't be with the ones we love at the moment.

Wherever we might be this season of love, snow, frost and lights, I wish that everybody will ALWAYS find enough happiness, ammo, liquor and venison for much time to come.

'Nuff said...Post all the things that remind you of the holidays or being home:

 

[jrassy]

So a double edged sword for me, I ended up in the hospital last week, but my daughter, who is a Corpsman stationed at Iwakuni Marine base in Japan, got emergency leave to come home for two weeks. im taking one for the team?

 

[pmclaine]

Buy more ammo.........

Just needs to be said in every thread irregardless of topic.

 

[Blue Sky Country]

Waiting on a shipment of Starline .45 Auto brass and CCI 300 Large Pistol primers. Should be here after Christmas. Still got several canisters of Bullseye to last me through some time and enough FMJ/JHP boolits for now. Besides I got additional ingots of lead to keep everything running at least until the summer.

 

[Blue Sky Country]

So a double edged sword for me, I ended up in the hospital last week, but my daughter, who is a Corpsman stationed at Iwakuni Marine base in Japan, got emergency leave to come home for two weeks. im taking one for the team?

I wish a speedy recovery to you man. There is nothing like being able to get the whole family together for dinner.

 

[tnichols]

I like where this thread is going. I’m thankful for a ton of things, and I’ll play along with pics tomorrow. I’m most thankful to be at home over Christmas. I travel for a living, and I’m glad to not have to over the Holidays.

 

[EddieNFL]

 

[S Roche]

Christmas is always a good time. I take the 3 grandsons & a grandaughter out to my range with 22's just to pop some cans and balloons. The kids love it but the 2 Mom's always give me the look when we head out. When we get back for dinner I always hear the same thing, anybody get hurt? Typical city Mom's.

 

[Barneybdb]

This Christmas is going to be special for us as we will be informing the 7 and 11 year old grandkids that we are taking them and mum and dad to Disneyland Anaheim and Vegas for 2 weeks early February. Then we get to send them back to Australia and spend the next 5 weeks travelling the West coast area and maybe catching up with some of you guys. They need some cheering up as they lost their other Grandpa last weekend.

 

[Blue Sky Country]

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I see your capgun, I raise you the Mattel Fanner 50

Wish they still made these for the kiddos.
They actually use a friggin CARTRIDGE that you load. (No powder of course, but that Greenie cap that is made for this toy is far more powerful than any toy cap you can get nowadays). No better way than this to get the real young ones started in reloading and shooting.

Cereal boxes back in the day used to also come with targets you can cut out and prop.

 

[Blue Sky Country]

 

[Blue Sky Country]

 

[tnichols]

Early winter late afternoon as you pull in from a multi day trip. Home...

 

[Threadcutter308]

This Christmas is going to be special for us as we will be informing the 7 and 11 year old grandkids that we are taking them and mum and dad to Disneyland Anaheim and Vegas for 2 weeks early February. Then we get to send them back to Australia and spend the next 5 weeks travelling the West coast area and maybe catching up with some of you guys. They need some cheering up as they lost their other Grandpa last weekend.

Condolences Barn, tough when they are so close together.

-Otherwise-
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !

 

[Threadcutter308]

Well, I guess the wife and I are the antithesis of being "homey" this year. We'll be heading out on the 27th for our winter vacation in the mountains. One of our stops will be Garmisch/Partinkirchen in SE Germany. We may (or may not) ride the "ZugspitzeBahn". You see, they had a little accident this fall when they were testing the "rescue cabine" they were lowering to the main cabine from the top station/summit. The main cabine was halted intentionally (and empty of occupants). The chain or wire rope retaining the rescue cabine broke and the rescue cabine ran away and collided (putting it mildly) with the main cabine. Haven't been able to find out which, details are hard to come by. Here's the result;

I'm not afraid of heights, flying doesn't bother me in the least, I love cablecars, but getting into one that soon after an accident of that magnitude has given me pause. Oh, for giggles, check out the trolley/running gear suspended from the ropes up above. That's two vehicles worth of running gear.....And, there were workers that got up there and cut all that shit apart. They couldn't move/lower anything without getting rid of the rescue cabin first. I imagine the hazard pay was "pretty good"
The Cableway manufacturer built a new cabine, installed it, got everything cleaned up, put back together and starting running a week ago.
If the weather is bad, there's no sense in going up. If the weather is good, there is also a rack rail funicular that goes up via a tunnel inside the mountain, so there is that option.

If it's nice, I'll post some pics.

 

[Rthur]

Early winter late afternoon as you pull in from a multi day trip. Home...
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Great pic T, think I saw some gravel in that grass though...

 

[tnichols]

Great pic T, think I saw some gravel in that grass though...

Aw shit ?, I’m hoping it’s just leaves. Haven’t blown snow yet so....?

 

[Alphatreedog]

Our Christmas Tree does it for me . It's like a portal in time that takes me back to fond memories of cherished Cristmas ornaments and family . My parents would entertain on Christmas Eve and Aunts Uncles and close friends would come by .
Simpler times when we were moelre wholesome and moral as a society. We are Catholic and Christnlmas held esteem and reverence in all our hearts . Profoundly sad at where we are as a society . Quite a bit less emphasis where it needs to be and on who needs it . Looking at a wall filled with pictures and portraits of all of our family and our roots run qide and deep . Merry Christmas and God Bless you all .

 

[Blue Sky Country]

This Christmas is going to be special for us as we will be informing the 7 and 11 year old grandkids that we are taking them and mum and dad to Disneyland Anaheim and Vegas for 2 weeks early February. Then we get to send them back to Australia and spend the next 5 weeks travelling the West coast area and maybe catching up with some of you guys. They need some cheering up as they lost their other Grandpa last weekend.

I give you my deepest condolences man. It is the hardest to lose someone who is close to you. I hope you guys have a wonderful and SAFE trip and make a lot of new friends too.

 

[Blue Sky Country]

This holiday season, let's also make a resolution to tell those we care about that we love them. Every day. And show them that we love them. Because life is fragile and it is often too easy to lose someone. So while they are there with us, make every second something to be cherished.

And for those who have a significant other or someone they consider a soul mate, cherish everything about them and consider yourselves very lucky to have someone you can address as such. Do not allow stupid or trivial things to get between you.

Cold Mountain - Inman comes home:

 

[Veer_G]

 

[Blue Sky Country]

The season's first snowfall, a cup of fresh black coffee, and a Third Model LeMat...

 

[pmclaine]

J.E.B. Stewart says "Nice piece."

 

[armorpl8chikn]

 

[IowaPlinker]

Great pic T, think I saw some gravel in that grass though...

The season's first snowfall, a cup of fresh black coffee, and a Third Model LeMat...

View attachment 7192432View attachment 7192432

Didn’t the LeMat shoot a shot shell from the middle tube? And were they ever converted to firing brass cartridges?

 

[buffalowinter]

 

[Blue Sky Country]

Didn’t the LeMat shoot a shot shell from the middle tube? And were they ever converted to firing brass cartridges?

They did. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Models were percussion ignition. The 3rd Model was built from 1864 onwards and had .44 caliber upper chambers and .63 caliber smoothbore lower. The selector switch on the top part of the hammer angled the striker up or down, depending on which barrel you want to fire. The 1st and 2nd models had a receiver assembly that was held together by a single spring lever, which was prone to dropping down during recoil much like the loading levers on the 1847 Walker saddle revolvers. The 3rd model used a knurled pin secured with 1 twist, a far better assembly.

Some LeMats were converted into cartridge by custom gunsmiths after the Civil War. Many former Confederate soldiers and troopers who had them also went into the Caribbean and South America. There, these pistols often saw service in the hands of these men in local conflicts and they packed devastating results against local junta members and enforcers not familiar with repeating firearms.

A few remaining 3rd Model LeMats from the Birmingham factory after the Confederate wartime contract ended had been converted into .44 rimfire and sold to various law enforcement agencies. To my knowledge, the shotgun barrel portion of the guns were not converted due to ignition issues. A centerfire shotgun shell required a straight line blow from a firing pin to ignite. The configuration of the striker angle and position of the shell on the LeMat makes this impossible. With percussion ignition, the flame from the exploding cap is directed to the shot chamber via a L shaped channel in the breech.

 

[Geno C.]

 

[Threadcutter308]

View attachment 7192735

Cocktail hour at the Chrisman compound, I'm hopin'

 

[Geno C.]

Cocktail hour at the Chrisman compound, I'm hopin'

Indeed it is?

 

[Threadcutter308]

Indeed it is?View attachment 7192739

Noice !!!

 

[tnichols]

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We have that same ceramic tree! I believe it’s missing a light or two. She still puts it out every year.

 

[1J04]

 

[acudaowner]

It may be early but merry Christmas anyway , and get well soon to the person who was in the hospital .

 

[pmclaine]

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I had one of those Crosman M1 Carbines. Great BB gun, different sort of spring function, push barrel in to cock.

It snapped at the wrist and is long gone.

Parts that remained would have good value today. It could have easily been inlet into a GI stock.

 

[1J04]

I had one of those Crosman M1 Carbines. Great BB gun, different sort of spring function, push barrel in to cock.

It snapped at the wrist and is long gone.

Parts that remained would have good value today. It could have easily been inlet into a GI stock.

Samezies. The mag held the extra BB's, you plunged the barrel back compressing the spring. While didn't pull the trigger once or twice with the barrel still back in the Stock? ?

 

[Mooseknuckles]

Tree up and stockings hung. The biggest Christmas gift this year will be our second daughter. She will be here in about 18-20 days. Going to be a fun Christmas.

 

[Duc]

 

[Threadcutter308]

love it !

 

[Threadcutter308]

The next youtube video that popped up..........

 

[Threadcutter308]

The next youtube video that popped up..........

and, another..........

lyin’ dawg........

 

[pmclaine]

Got the yard decorations up before the snow flies.........

Will look good once frosted by white shit.

 

[pmclaine]

Just in the St Nick of time...

 

[Blue Sky Country]

It may be early but merry Christmas anyway , and get well soon to the person who was in the hospital .

Much thanks for the kind words. It is very appreciated!

 

[Mooseknuckles]

Got the house all done this weekend. Don’t mind putting up lights, just taking them down is a pain.

 

[Geno C.]

Got the house all done this weekend. Don’t mind putting up lights, just taking them down is a pain.
View attachment 7193980

Leaver then till it hits 60 degrees?

 

[Barneybdb]

Just replaced our evaporative cooling unit ready for Christmas, got 21 years out of the last one....

 

[pmclaine]

Just replaced our evaporative cooling unit ready for Christmas, got 21 years out of the last one....

That is so Southern hemisphere..........

 

[Nik H]

The tree is the centerpiece of our house. I will have to post a video of it versus a still photo. It has 20 years of history via every ornament. There isn't one that doesn't carry some sort of significance to our family.

Unfortunately, the main tree is not real which is a shame. Three cats make having a real one difficult as they climb it and knock it down. Out of deference to me, we put up a 2nd smaller tree in the den and that is a real one.

 

[12Bravo]

Just replaced our evaporative cooling unit ready for Christmas, got 21 years out of the last one....

Is this what we in the southern US call a swamp cooler?